PayTv is a market that is 98% unexploited in Kenya, just going by the fact that the current providers have explored a meager 2% of the market. Hence there is still some grass for an extra paytv service provider. StarTimes, previously in 9 countries in Africa, made Kenya the 10th with today’s launch. StarTimes has pushed a $75million investment in Kenya to build a DVB-T2 platform for its digital tv broadcasting. StarTimes currently has over 120 channels worldwide and has made live products ranging from news&commerce, movies, sports, entertainment, documentaries, lifestyle, religion, kids channels, and music. These are then broken down into 7 bouquets, these being basic, Basic plus, Classic, Classic Plus, Unique, Unique Plus and India, with a price range from between Kes. 499 and 2499. The basic package offers 40 channels as the starter package.
These will be available upon purchasing a decoder worth Kes 3000. The DVB-T2 platform is the one that has been approved for use in transmitting digital television network in Kenya, and this will roll out till the complete shift from analogue to digital transmission. StarTimes seeks to deliver affordability to Kenyans with this service and the packages will include all free-to-air channels that are available for pay-tv. Products come with a one year warranty and full term maintenance service.
Availability of the service in Kisumu and Mombasa will be in early July and expend to 11 major cities by the end of the year. Startimes aims to cover the whole of the country by 2015 in time for the mandatory migration to digital migration that is already planned for the country. In support of this launch, Mr. Francis Wangusi, CCK Directornoted that most of TV revenue comes from advertising, and if new entrants focused on the same model, then there would be diminished revenues and a sector that would be limited of growth. He added that there needs to be innovation on the business models in the sector, saying that he wishes for innovation to make this the leading revenue generator sector for the Government.
